


The Storm

by Red_Lenses



Series: When The Storm Breaks [12]
Category: Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Abuse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 07:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18205490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Lenses/pseuds/Red_Lenses
Summary: The Wily bots commence their attack on the city.





	The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure whether animal abuse still counts if the animal in question is a robot, but either way - if you're squeamish about that, continue with caution.

The day of the attack dawned bright and cold. The wiry grass surrounding the fortress sparkled with frost in the early morning sunlight. Even from his window three floors above ground level Metal could quite clearly make out the trails left by the patrolling Sniper Joes as they marched across the castle grounds, their boots clearing away the ice as they went.

It had taken him weeks to work up to this moment. Weeks of collecting supplies, of directing robots to perform tasks all over the city, and of carefully following blueprints to finish constructing some of the massive robots his master had stored away in pieces. Even now there were countless things that could go wrong. But if he succeeded, it would all be worth it.

He would finally seize control of the city in Wily’s name. He would make the humans bow and beg for mercy as he had so often been forced to do. And then, as as one final tribute to the man who had built him, Metal would raze the entire city to the ground to punish its residents for never giving Wily the respect he deserved.

His breath misted in the chilly air. “Today’s the day. I’m going to make you proud, Father.”

There was a quiet rapping at the door behind him. Metal turned his back on the window, passing from the early morning sunlight back into the harsh brightness of electric lighting. “Enter.”

The door swung open silently and Shadow stepped into the room. Metal raised an eyebrow at him; he had not expected to see him so early. “What’s your news?”

“Preparations are complete. The army is ready to move out.”

“Perfect. Ahead of schedule. Then we begin now.” Metal’s satisfied smile was hidden behind his mask as he swept past the ninja bot, who watched him pass before following.

The very air within the castle seemed to vibrate with anticipation. Despite the early hour the hallways were full of lesser robots scurrying back and forth, performing the final tasks assigned to them before they were to take up their positions as guards. It would fall to them to keep hostile presences out of the castle until the initial strike was over, even if all they were able to do was delay the intruders until the Wily bots were able to step in and stop them.

Shadow slipped through the doorway to the main hall ahead of Metal. By the time he reached it, the ninja bot had already melted into the crowd of robots assembled within. Metal turned on his heel and strode toward the dais at the head of the room, ignoring the heads that turned in his direction and the excited whispers that rippled through the hall at his presence. All of them knew that the moment had almost arrived.

He ascended the few steps and took his place upon the platform. There he stood, surveying the rows of combat-ready robots who now gazed at him with barely veiled eagerness, shifting slightly on their feet as though impatient to begin. The army that Wily had left in his hands.

Metal raised a hand to his helmet and retracted his mask, baring his lower face to allow his voice to ring clearly throughout the hall. “Fellow Robot Masters. Our time is now at hand. For many years we toiled under Father’s command, fighting to make his dream a reality. Each attempt brought us closer and closer. We learned. We grew. And we have come together to combine our might as we never have before. And now… now, the time has come to finish this once and for all. The time has come to take what is rightfully ours!”

A roar rose from the assembled robots at his shout. The floor shuddered beneath the blows of many stomping feet and the cacophony of shouts was so great that his hearing receptors crackled softly under the strain. He waited for almost a minute before raising his hand for silence.

Once the noise level had dropped he spoke up again. “All of you know what you need to do. Find your partners. Take your positions. Watch for your signals. If each and every one of you completes your assigned goals, our attack will execute flawlessly. The city will never stand a chance.”

He thrust his fist into the air. “For Doctor Wily!”

The cry was echoed all around the hall in a wave of sound that almost shook the walls once again. At once everything was a flurry of movement as robots with assigned partners hurried to find each other. While the crowd began to thin out, Metal’s mask slid back into place over his mouth once again as his eyes were drawn to a figure standing alone by the back wall. He alone had not cheered, and now he was the only one who had not yet moved. He was simply waiting.

Metal descended from his dais and approached, mindless of the robots who jostled him on their way past or who vanished in beams of light around him. The figure did not look up as Metal stopped in front of him. “Bass. Are you ready to begin?”

“I was built ready.”

“I know you were. But I’m also aware that your actions today may be guided by emotion. That’s why I refuse to allow you to do it alone. Ours is the most vital and dangerous role to fulfil today. We must not mess this up. Am I understood?”

Bass finally raised his head to meet Metal’s gaze. The seething hatred and bloodlust within his scarlet eyes seemed to almost project a physical force; Metal found himself taking a step back before he quickly composed himself. “Am I understood, Bass?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go. And remember, you must obey my orders.” With those parting words Metal vanished in a beam of light. Bass glared at the spot he had been for a moment longer before following.

* * *

The early morning sunlight flooded through the windows as Roll drew back the blinds, basking in the warmth. She loved the peaceful silence that came with the first rays of sunlight, when the household was still waking up and the bustle of the daily routine had yet to begin. As she made her way to the kitchen she was humming a cheerful tune to herself.

She filled the cat’s food bowl and began to brew a cup of coffee. The sound of bare feet on the tiled floor caused her to turn in time to see her twin entering the kitchen, still in his pyjamas and blinking in the morning light. “Morning, Roll.”

“Good morning! Is Dad up yet?”

“I knocked on his door and he told me he’s getting dressed.”

Rock shuffled over to the E-tank cabinet as Roll began to crack eggs into a frying pan. A moment later the tousle-haired boy was coming over to help, an E-tank in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other. “I think I heard Oil leaving earlier,” he commented as he dropped two slices of bread into the toaster.

“He dragged Time out for an early morning walk. I heard them arguing about it when I walked past Time’s room this morning. Oil thought he doesn’t get enough fresh air. I’m sure they’ll be back in plenty of time to get ready for work.”

“Oil does have a good point,” Rock mused out loud. He took a gulp of his E-tank before setting it down to take over preparing the coffee. “Time needs to learn to take it easy sometimes. Especially with those upgrades he’s got…”

The twins exchanged a glance. Neither of them had managed to get out of either Doctor Light or Time himself exactly what the temporal robot’s visions of the future were about. Time had flatly refused to discuss the subject at all, even when Roll tried to butter him up by taking him a cup of his favourite tea. The Doctor had been more lenient with sharing information, although the most they had managed to get out of him was that Time had no control over what he saw or when. Even Oil didn’t seem to have been informed of the details. It was a mystery that both twins longed to understand.

Their thoughts were interrupted at that moment as Doctor Light himself entered the kitchen. “Good morning, children.”

“Morning, Dad!”

The Doctor paused for a moment to see if there was any way he could help before proceeding into the dining room, where the newspaper was already waiting for him. His children had everything perfectly under control, just as always. There was a fond smile on his face as he settled down to read the news and soon found himself supplied with the usual perfect cup of coffee and delicious breakfast. The twins joined him at the table and he let their voices wash over him as they chatted enthusiastically about the latest special order of parts the labs had received.

As the household slowly came alive with more robots passing by in preparation to begin their day, Roll gave her twin a nudge with her elbow. “Shouldn’t you get dressed soon? Or are you going to spend the whole day like that?”

“Huh? … Oh, right! I nearly forgot.” Rock sprang to his feet with a sheepish grin and hurried off toward his room. Shaking her head at her brother’s forgetfulness, Roll turned her attention instead to the newspaper spread over the table.

Doctor Light was reading in silence, his brow creased slightly in worry as his eyes skimmed from side to side. From her place Roll couldn’t tell which article he was looking at, nor could she read any of it properly. “Is there more bad news about Doctor Wily?”

There was a short pause before the Doctor spoke up. “No. In fact, none of his robots have been sighted in days. This is giving me a very bad feeling, Roll. This is being taken as a sign that Albert is giving up…” He knew that much at least was not true. Whatever was happening now was being orchestrated by his robots themselves. “I fear that this could be the calm before the storm. It’s been building for some time and now it’s simply a matter of time until it breaks.”

“Do you mean there’s going to be another attack on the city?” Roll asked in a hushed voice.

“Almost certainly. But the question is _why_ …?”

That made no sense at all to Roll. Launching attacks on the city had practically become a part of Wily’s regular routine at this point. He was always working on a new plan in much the same way as Doctor Light was always working on building new industrial robots or upgrading older designs. As Roll stared at her father, she suddenly had the feeling that he knew something he was not telling the rest of his family.

But just as she opened her mouth to ask, the world suddenly seemed to explode in a wave of heat and noise.

Roll dived on top of the elderly Doctor and dragged him beneath the dining table as the house shook from the force of the blast. His coffee mug had spilled and its contents were dripping over the edge of the table as Roll crouched protectively over the dazed human. The dining room was full of cries of alarm and running feet, but it didn’t take long to figure out that the explosion had not come from there.

A second blast shook the building and a deafening crash came from the direction of the living room. Even as the feet thundered toward it, ready to intercept the threat, a familiar voice rose above the chaos in a cry of pure rage.

“ ** _Mega Man!_** ”

The gang of Light bots reached the living room to find a massive hole blown in the wall. A second explosion had taken out part of the ceiling and it was through this hole that Bass had entered, his blaster still emitting a wisp of smoke as his boots crunched over broken wood and plaster. But even as the dust cleared enough for him to see the group braced to intercept him, a blue figure vaulted over one of the other robots and positioned himself squarely between Bass and everyone else.

The hatred that flared up in the SWN’s eyes brought Mega Man another wave of guilt. He had tried his best to put the incident out of his mind, but the loathing with which Bass glared at him and the noticeable absence of his loyal wolf brought back the memory in full force. But before he could muster up the courage to speak Bass was already on him.

The SWN’s weapon was beginning to glow with violet energy even as his free hand closed around the smaller robot’s throat. Immediately he threw Rock as hard as he could against the nearest wall. As his opponent stumbled and nearly fell he swung up his arm to fire, only to feel a weight slam into his side and knock him off-balance. His charged shot tore another hole through the wall inches from Mega Man’s head.

Bass quickly recovered and swung around in time to see Guts seizing another chair. The Light bots had scattered, all the better to encircle him and fight him together. A sudden crackle in the air was his only warning as a bolt of electricity arced toward him, forcing him to throw himself into a clumsy dive to avoid it. Before he could take aim at the culprit, a massive pair of scissor-like blades deflected off his upraised arm with a loud clang. But as he regained his balance, kicking aside the chunks of wood and plaster that his feet had become buried in, there was a third crash and a scream from elsewhere in the house.

Mega Man’s head snapped toward the sound, his core giving an unpleasant lurch. _That was Roll!_ “I can handle Bass! You guys keep Roll and Dad safe!”

As fast as a flash of lightning Elec had vanished in the direction of the scream. Cut snatched his returning blades out of the air and took off in pursuit. Mega Man turned his attention back to his own fight just in time to throw himself aside, narrowly avoiding another charged shot.

“Bass, let’s just talk about this,” he pleaded as he began to pick himself up from the floor again. Another wave of shots forced him to slide and he came up behind Bass, only to receive an elbow to the head. As he staggered back Guts caught him easily and set him back on his feet. Bass was already coming at them again and the construction bot struck him with a powerful backhand, sending him flying into a pile of rubble. But before anyone could act he was already back on his feet, murder in his eyes.

A loud bark and the sound of running paws announced the arrival of a new combatant. This time Rush was not content to sit out; not when his home was being destroyed and his family was under attack. The moment Bass was in sight Rush was lunging at him, teeth bared to latch onto whatever he could reach. But the SWN twisted and his hand came up just in time to catch the leaping dog by the throat.

The rage flared more strongly and his expression twisted into an animalistic snarl as he raised the struggling support unit in the air. For a moment Mega Man was frozen in place, watching Rush kick and wriggle in his desperation to get away. Then Bass swung him downward as hard as he could.

“No! Rush!” Mega Man was lunging, ready to intervene even though he already knew he was too far away. He heard the crunch as Rush hit the ground and his lightweight body, ideal for flying, collapsed inward from the force of the blow. Bass raised him into the air again and batted Mega Man aside before slamming Rush down again.

Everything was a blur of confusion and yells and the crunch of damaged machinery. Mega Man’s hand closed around Bass’ arm and he was shaken dizzyingly from side to side as he fought to separate the two. His feet left the ground as he was dragged across the room; he had a brief glimpse of Bass wielding Rush’s limp body as a weapon before he was jerked away again. All he could do was cling on, struggling to loosen the SWN’s grip but afraid to shoot, as the fight continued around him.

The crunch of crumpling metal came again and Mega Man lost his grip as he was slammed into the wall. Instantly he scrambled to his feet and his eyes fell upon Rush’s broken form lying several feet away. As the dust settled he bolted straight for the support unit and dropped to his knees, scooping the motionless dog into his arms. Only then did he look up in time to see his largest brother stepping protectively between him and Bass.

“Yer gonna leave us alone,” Guts stated threateningly, one fist still clenched and ready to strike again. “ _Or else._ ”

The SWN had clearly come off worse in the struggle. The punch had sent him crashing into the far wall and there he had remained, lying among the wreckage where he had fallen. His weapon arm had been nearly torn from his body; it rested limply beside him as his free hand clutched at his chest guard, which had caved in and partially crushed his internals. But despite the damage he had sustained, Bass’ lips twitched upward into a grin at the threat. His gasping breaths hitched as he broke into a quiet chuckle, releasing a cloud of smoke with the exhalation. “See how you like it,” he muttered.

Mega Man felt his core clench in fear at the words he knew were directed at him. His hand came to rest gently over the back of Rush’s head, but he didn’t dare check inside. Not while Bass still potentially had the strength to finish off the support unit.

Guts stepped forward with a growl. But before he could do anything, there was a commotion in the doorway and Cut reappeared with a deactivated crimson robot slumped over his shoulder. Elec was right behind him, carrying a pair of detached arms in his own and wearing an expression of distaste.

“Think this is the last of ‘em,” Cut panted, stumbling slightly over the uneven floor. “Elec ran a perimeter check and didn’t find any sign of more. Man, this guy’s heavy…”

With one hand Guts lifted Metal easily from Cut’s shoulders. The smaller robot let out a sigh of relief as he straightened up. “Thanks. Anyway, looks like we’re clear. The Doc got a bit sliced up, but nothing major. Roll’s taking care of him.”

Elec unceremoniously deposited Metal’s arms beside Bass. The SWN’s eyes lingered on them before turning to stare down the limp form of his commander in Guts’ hand, a momentary flicker of disgust crossing his face. _You didn’t even do any better than me in the end._

As Elec hurried from the room again, intent on helping Roll, Cut turned his attention back to the defeated robots. “What’re we gonna do with these two?”

“Take out the trash, o’ course.” And in one easy movement Guts had hefted Bass off the ground as well. With both Wily bots draped gracelessly over one shoulder and the severed arms in his free hand, he carried them out through one of the larger holes in the wall. Rock watched him go, neither knowing or caring where he intended to take them.

His gaze finally dropped to the support unit in his arms. Rush’s body was little more than a crushed wreck of twisted metal and shattered parts, many of which were visible through the split seams of his body’s casing. But despite that his head was mostly undamaged. Rock pried open the panel at the back of his head with shaking fingers and relief flooded through his body at the sight of the untouched compartment which housed his IC chip.

“Is he okay, big bro?” Cut had crouched down beside him, concern written all over his face.

Rock opened his mouth to respond and found that his voice had failed. There were tears welling up in his eyes as he swallowed and nodded. Cut’s expression didn’t change as he shuffled closer. “But are you okay?”

It took several deep breaths before Rock felt capable of responding. “I will be, but first… I have to go after them.”

* * *

The group of Robot Masters were quiet as they stood gathered around the work bench in the thankfully untouched lab, listening to Roll’s hushed voice as she carefully patched up her twin’s battle damage. Metal had intercepted her while she attempted to carry Doctor Light to safety, she told them. He had scored a few hits, but thanks to her quick reflexes they had inflicted little more than minor scratches on the Doctor before her brothers arrived to subdue the attacker.

When her story came to a close Guts stepped in, describing the fight with Bass to spare his brother from having to relive it. Rock tuned out the words as his attention drifted toward the other table at the far side of the lab. The twisted remains of Rush’s body looked even worse in these sterile surroundings than it had in the wreckage of their living room, especially now that Doctor Light had begun taking him apart to see what could be salvaged. It was not so much a matter of repairing him than of rebuilding him entirely, the Doctor had informed Rock regretfully. It would be weeks before he was on his feet again. He would certainly not be able to accompany his master to the fortress this time.

That was fine with him. Fighting the Wily bots was his job and his alone. No one else needed to be involved.

“You’re really determined to do this, aren’t you?” Roll asked softly as she carefully patched a tear in the skin of his arm.

“I have to. This can’t be the only place they’ve attacked. The sooner I go to the fortress and stop Doctor Wily, the sooner everything can go back to normal.”

As she gazed upon her twin’s focused expression, Roll could only think regretfully to herself that Doctor Light’s musings had been right. The storm had broken. Now they had to hope they could withstand its force until it blew over and left them in peace to repair the damage.

And if anyone could put a stop to this, it would be Rock.


End file.
